overjoyed_logs | closed | world forgetting by the world forgot

Entry tags:

closed | world forgetting by the world forgot

Who: Lavi, Kanda
Where: Various locations
When: ... Various dates!
Summary: Keeping my non-plot stuff in here!
Restrictions/Warnings: We're aiming for cute so expect extreme angst in like five tags.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Snorting at that, because those words are in no way a reassurance, he can only stare at the offered skewer distrustfully while it waves near him, debating the capabilities of his his nanites to combat something as dubious as street food, before it disappears again.

Still silent, he watches white teeth catch on another morsel, watches Lavi tear the piece off with careless ease as he turns away to survey their surroundings - and this isn't the look of a hunter assessing strengths and weaknesses.

It's just observing the ebb and flow, reveling in the moment for nothing more than personal enjoyment.

To say it's a rare sight to see is an understatement, and one that he can, in turn, appreciate seeing. So much so, that the faintest hint of amusement pulls at the corners of his lips, brighten his gaze as he listens to his partner ramble off a frightening list of locations to explore.

Before they have the chance to dart off in whichever direction Lavi's impulse is determined to take them this time, he pulls a hand out of his pocket and snaps it out to curl around his partners before slowly, deliberately, drawing the offered and withdrawn skewer to his lips.

Just a bite, to steal one of the pieces, before he lets go and straightens up, chews thoughtfully.]

...not horrible. Soba's still better.

[A beat, as he continues to chew, the hint of mischief there in his eyes. ]

Speaking of, I want to stop and get more after we're done finding feather pens.

[ Initially, he doesn't think much of Yu reaching for his hand--that sort of casual touch has become fairly commonplace for them, especially if the other is holding something of the edible variety. So when he feels those fingers curl around his palm, he just assumes the skewer will be claimed in a moment and goes back to mapping out his plan of attack for the night.

(No, not of attack, Lavi reminds himself, censuring his thoughts before they can slip into those battle-cast molds.)

But when it's his hand, and not just the proffered food item being drawn up to Yu's mouth, he starts, blinking wide as he turns his head back to watch.

His mouth parts to offer question or protest, both of which die to the sound of a hard swallow. He's not sure what's worse: that he's caught between being turned on and simultaneously threatened by the action, or that he's enjoying the dichotomy.

Ah--he's staring, isn't he?

Pulling in a sharp breath, Lavi offers a wordless nod at first, shuffling weight from heel to heel as he draws his hand back and tries to reorient his thoughts.

(Most of which just end up back in that gray area of being wary of those teeth and wondering what they feel like--) ]

Right. Sure.

[ Soba. Books. Feather pens.

Swiftly turning on his heel, he picks the closest direction of distraction, a stand three stalls down with the hint of rolled scrolls peeking out from beneath its colorful banner, and makes a beeline for it. Once control is (mostly) regained, he manages to speak with his usual cadence the second go around, tone even and casual despite his adamant refusal to make eye contact again. ]

You should really invest in a soba shop, you know. You already donate enough of our accounts to funding them.

Too much commitment. Besides, this way I'm supporting the local economy or some shit.

[This... is going to be fun.

It's a surprising thought, one that's swiftly followed with a smirk as he shoves his hands back into his pocket, follows at a more sedate pace as a plan of attack - and this is definitely more strategy than anything else - starts to form in his mind.

Because he knows now, doesn't he?

Yes, that undercurrent of attraction is still there between them, now that he understand what it feels like, how to see it through Lavi's facade, but to push at it carelessly would be dangerous. Both to their friendship (and much as the 'bookman' side of his partner has tried to negate it, it's still there), and to whatever this is.

Figuring out the how of it, unfortunately, isn't something that comes easy to him.

For now, little things - gestures, breeches in personal space - will have to be enough. They should set Lavi off balance, force him to think, to try to interpret Kanda's intent (and then likely second-guess that conclusion because the first would have been seemingly impossible even three months ago), but it's a start.

At least, until he can figure out a better approach.

Otherwise, his own impatience and inclination to action will have him simply cutting to the chase and as much as he's sure he'd enjoy another kiss like the ones they'd shared that night... he's fairly sure Lavi would deck the hells out of him at this point in time.

Finally catching up to Lavi, he glances from his partner to the scrolls that seem to have his attention, brows furrowing slightly with feigned curiosity.]

How do you decide which one you want? They all look like old rolls of paper to me.

They're not old.

[ It is an easy, absent reply, one that's devoid of inflection or the need to modulate reactions because it's an observation, flat and given freely, of an expert. From the moment he came to touch them, no, from well before then, he knew the deceptive nature of their appearance.

He gave himself to that study nonetheless, because although the scrolls are obviously manufactured and forged, they are no less interesting for it. He is rarely concerned with the genuine nature of a thing (how could he be? He would know not where to look), but of the history it contains, folk lore or otherwise.

And in no particularly small way because it's an action which divorces him from the shakiness of his less scholastic thoughts. His hands, working gently at unfurling one of the bundles, do not tremor with the effort to mind themselves, and his gaze is likewise devout in its pursuit of the words written, though not entirely without fault.

It's only polite to look at someone when you speak, after all, so he chances a glance to the side, smile twinging on cue. For a moment, all is well and right, but soon his sight tracks a little too low, as the wandering eye of infatuation is wont to do, and Lavi's mind again turns with thoughts of lips and teeth and the stuff of confused dreams.

Abruptly he turns his head again, swallowing much too loud for his liking before covering it (poorly) by clearing his throat. ]

The paper has been yellowed with heat, not age. The ink is hand-laid but too uniform--old stuff wasn't as smooth as this. That, and--

[ Firmly within his element again, his nervousness edges away, smile carefree and postured relaxed as he turns the scroll over to expose its sepia-toned back, decidedly matte by comparison to the waxy surface of the front. ]

--they didn't treat both sides of it. If you were tryna' preserve something, you wouldn't just half preserve it, would you?

[ Ah, but the trouble of being so discerning: several of the nearby customers caught enough of his explanation to put their potential purchases away. He's now faced with a particularly angry vendor who is forced to announce a discount. In earnest defense, Lavi holds his palms up, the usual sign of surrender: ]

They're great reproductions, though!

[The thing about Lavi, and all his masks, is that while he cannot always interpret what's behind them, he can infer the slight differences in them. Like now, when he falls back into the analytical scholar - not quite the bookman, but someone confident in their assessment based on a refined understanding of his topic.

And that shift, the edge of distraction that he'd tried to hide?

Those looks he's seen before, been subjected to before. They're the ones slowly taking over his dreams, taking an edge off the worst of some of his nightmares.

Those looks are the ones that, more than anything else, give proof that what fever has temporarily wiped from his partner's memory, hasn't been banished entirely.

I warned you, didn't I? I won't lose, not this time.

Stepping closer, to look around Lavi's shoulder at the scrolls in question (after having only caught the last of what his partner had been saying to begin with) he spares the merchant a sharp glade before reaching around his partner to pick one up, turn it over in his hand before tapping it lightly against Lavi's chest.]

...So did you actually want one or not?

[Because, ultimately, Kanda could give less than a damn about the lost patrons, or an annoyed vendor. Instead, he's curious to see if the content is worth it, despite the lack of originality.]

[ If his laughter sounds a little too high-pitched, that's likely because he had to pry his jaw open and force distance between teeth to make the sound. Paranoia is ordinarily a dear friend of his--occupational acquaintance, he likes to say--but at the moment, it's whispering nonsensical suggestions into his burning ears and making it that much harder to keep his cool.

He's doing it on purpose, that vicious voice suggests, he knows.

The thought, however, is fleeting, because as soon as it rises in his bubbling mind, he's quick to set it aside and gently, ever so gently, tell it to go to hell. If that were true, even if it were meant to be some unkind joke, it would require Yu to not be reviled by the thought of it. That has about as much of a chance as the Nine choosing to abdicate their rule and give their lands to the people of Westerley.

So no, it's nothing so insidious as that, it's just Lavi being far too easily distracted by proximity and the sensation of someone so close to his neck. ]

I'll take both!

[ Gulping a third time to quiet himself, he flashes a quick grin at the vendor, eager to take up that discount in spite of the (noticeably more restrained) dirty looks being volleyed his way. Gathering the scroll tapping against his ribs in hand with the other under inspection, he pays wordlessly, sliding to the side of Kanda to avoid meeting his gaze again.

Man, this is gonna be a long night if this keeps up, he thinks to himself before remembering his earlier determination to have fun no matter the cost.

No, he corrects, all resolute and certainty, it's all in my head. We're gonna have fun and I amnot going to dream about this later.

Granted, he might have to drink himself to an oblivion to guarantee that, but where there's a will, there's a way!

So with that in mind, he twists on his heel, flashing a wide grin and borrowing some of his earlier carelessness. ]

It's fun having you here. I get discounts but everyone is too afraid of you to get angry. Hey, think I can convince them their hokk isn't authentic either?

[ He seems to consider this for a split second before shrugging it off, belatedly realizing he never asked (nor was it offered) for a bag to hold the scrolls. He considers going back for it, but without Yu around to mollify understandably irritated vendors.. ]

Anyway! Where do you wanna go?

[ Bouncing on his heels a bit? Yes. Whether that's excitement or nerves, though, he's not telling. ]

[If Kanda could hear Lavi's thought, he'd have to admit to guilt. Because he does, in fact, know.

Just like he knows the feel of that smile against his skin, knows the sound his partner makes when he catches that lip between teeth...

He'd even agree that this is going to be a long night if this keeps up, because it will. Because he has every intention of continuously treading that line.

Especially because, during the three-plus years that Kanda has known him, he's fairly certain he's never seen Lavi this unsettled, save for the height of delusion - and even then, that was something entirely different.

This... he knows.

Lavi can see what he's doing, threads doubt in Kanda. Is it too much? Should he back off?

This is why this shit is too damn complicated. Attraction should come with a field manual.

And since this isn't something he wants to get wrong... maybe backing off, reassessing his plan of attack, is a necessary step.]

I thought you said you wanted to go to a bookstore? Or someplace for those feather-pen things.

[Cutting Lavi a sidelong glance, he offers a wry smirk.]

Let's see how much of a discount my glare can get you there, idiot rabbit.

Edited 2017-02-21 05:49 (UTC)

[ This, at least, isn't a complicated thing to consider. Skin cooling and reactions losing their sharpness, Lavi considers Yu's answer with a careless shrug. His idiotic crush and hopeless distraction aside, he'd been sincere when he said having the other man here made it fun.

Not just for the potential discounts (he's of the mind not to abuse that tactic too many times, having a good relationship with the different vendors and staffers at the Bazaar has considerable perks), but more generally for having the company. They may live and work together, but there's seldom an activity they do where someone hasn't ordered or paid them to participate.

(Not, of course, that he hasn't dragged Yu with him to bookstores before, but those are almost always under the strained air of a bet lost or favor owed. This is the first time his partner has willingly volunteered himself to a social outing without some measure of coercion or necessity.) ]

We're on an adventure. Adventures are meant to be shared, y'know?

[ There's a breath of hesitation in him as he shifts the scrolls to one arm, but it lasts for a mere second before he turns to sling his arm along Yu's shoulders. They're friends, he reminds himself, and friends--at least those like him--occasionally hang off each other like small woodland animals on branches.

He's just going to have to learn to live with the distraction until he can get it out of his head. The last thing he wants to do is shy away as if Yu has done something deserving of recoil when it's Lavi's own damn fault in the first place. ]

So I wanna do stuff you wanna do too. You don't come here much during the night, right? I bet we could find you all sorts of cool things. Manly things. Small things. Shiny things.

[ cue disney soundtrack: a whole new world ]

[He'd started a tentative plan as they'd left the vendor's stall, scrolls in hand. Or at the very least, he'd started to think he was overthinking how he was approaching this evening.

Because Lavi does have a point - they'd come out tonight just to relax, given everything that had happened these last few weeks.

But then Lavi had to go and invade his personal space once again.

And while he gets it - this is an echo of behavior long since turned habit between them (in the sense that Lavi ignores the glares at the breech and Kanda swallows his irritation and settles with resignation), he's simply too aware now.]

...stuff I want to do, huh?

[He opens his mouth, and then immediately closes it because his first thought is to look for a new weapon, but he has the distinct impression that such a suggestion would be met with nothing except exasperation. Weaving through the crowd, he absently slips an arm around Lavi's waist as they shift around a rather boisterous group of brats, an almost thoughtful frown slipping into place.]

Alright, but... I'm not sure what that is yet, if it doesn't include weapons or training, so for now we can go get you lost in that one bookstore you like - that one that has the really old books and shit.

Yup!

[ The affirmation is excited, if still a touch too nervous, but he's finding his stride again, ignoring the pinpricks of heat blossoming at his side with every brush of contact. It's fine, he repeats ad nauseum, this never bothered him before, it's not a problem now--

--not that it's bothering him. If anything, it's delightfully distracting, but he's resolved himself not to let strange, foolish notions of human attachment influence his decisions.

That resolve almost holds, too, until the casual sling of an arm around him, and then his breath is catching again, heartbeat quickening slightly for it. Rather than draw attention to it, he just sinks into the momentary feeling of it. The security offered there.

Somewhere, a memory presses at his thoughts, stirs a craving for comfort that hits low and deep. ]

They're not old. They're antiquities. There's a difference.

[ Said with perhaps more indignation than is necessary, Lavi redirects their path without further preamble, leading them to the quietly glowing shop tucked between the livelier street performers. From the moment he sees it, his thoughts begin to drift, anticipation blanking his concerns and erasing the faint tension in his body that had lingered until now.

The place just smells magical to him. Of dust and aged paper, of ink presses long erased by history..!

Lavi slides away from Kanda as if lured by a siren, loudly announcing his arrival with an excited wave to the shopkeeper and disappearing into the aisles. Unfortunately, the shop is a little too effective at erasing his worries, and it's not more than a minute before he's sitting on the ground, flipping through a worn-leather bound book. ]

[It's little things like seeing that faint hint of Lavi's breath running a little shallow, hearing that thread of tension in his partner's voice that remind Kanda that whatever this is between them - it hadn't been one-sided.

Lavi had been just as affected, had wanted something else, that nebulous something more, just as much as Kanda had in that moment.

That they'd both been worn down and forced to face the reality between them, how it had shifted.

Granted, the affirmation wasn't going to give him any other degree of clarity as Lavi pulls away, throws himself in the search for a gem amongst the tomes, but it does calm the myriad of questions and doubts that had been plaguing him this evening.

Glancing to the shopkeeper, he nods and follows his partner at a much more sedate pace, his fingers absently running along the spines before him.]

Isn't 'antique' just a nicer way of saying old? Means the same thing.

[ There's an art to reading and talking at the same time, and usually it's an art he's quite adept at. Look up so the person knows you're acknowledging their existence, look back down and let their voice become a buzzing sensation that you process absently--

He gets to the looking up part, at least, blinking as the noises pass him by without immediately translating into actual words. All he can think right then is..

My favorite things.

Old books, a scenery without the copper drip of blood and acrid stench of death, Kanda looking almost not murderous..

Lavi smiles, as he's so wont to do, but this one is softer, warmer. Absently affectionate.

Then the noises become actual words and the smile disappears, brows furrowing in petulant irritation. They are not the same thing, ugh! ]

Nope. One is a relic of an era and passes on culture. The other is just from the era.

[ Lavi shifts to a stand, carefully, pushing the book at Kanda's chest. ]

Here. This one is about swordsmithing practices throughout the Quad.

[

]

I'm gonna go look for one that documents dealing with misology.

[ Shade level: bookman. ]

[What Lavi describes is, to Kanda's way of thinking, little more than nuance. Because they both reveal something of that era, don't they? Even if one carries more weight of importance, they still reflect a specific time in history.

But this, at least, he's smart enough not to voice. Because he is having a relaxing evening and while teasing Lavi is something he's learning to enjoy - if the way with which that smile gets replaced with irritation is any indication, it could go south fast if he pushes the wrong way.

So instead, he catches the book shoved at his chest, offers the hint of a smirk as he lets his hand trap Lavi's there for the briefest moment - and then it's his turn to frown again.

The fuck is misology?

It sounds like soup.

Tapping his fingers against the back of Lavi's hand, he resists the urge to ask and nods towards a plush, well-worn chase lounge tucked into a corner.]

I'll just wait there then, so I don't impede your search for a worthwhile antique.

[ Liberal arts majors are just touchy that way, Kanda. One minute everything is fine and the next you've accidentally insulted their institution and they're thinking of all the medieval torture devices they studied in the past.

Feeling smug at the all but guarantee that his insult went over Kanda's head (look, he needs something to cling to when he can't hold a candle in a fight--), Lavi begins to turn away as his hand is trapped beneath a warm palm, held securely in place.

(He's always expected it to be rough, but Kanda's fingers feel more like the touch of a pianist, long and graceful, smooth. A byproduct of his constant regeneration, probably..

Ah, he's staring at that hand when fingertips rap against his knuckles, drawing his attention back to the real world.) ]

Huh?

[ Lavi follows the line of sight to the lounge, nodding numbly in acknowledgement. ]

S-sure. I won't take too long.

[ Not that he's moving immediately, waiting patiently, and perhaps even hoping that Kanda won't let him go so easily. When Yu finally does let him go, he suppresses a sigh of disappointment before bounding off down the aisles.

Unfortunately, this second-hand bookshop appears to have no material as specific as 'how to be less ragingly gay at your bounty hunting partner'. So instead he busies himself with various tomes, the more depreciated the spine of them considered a plus rather than a negative. All said, he ends up with an armful of books up to his chin before he pads back to find Kanda and begin sorting through them to decide which are too precious to let go and which can probably wait for a night they don't plan to spend walking.

(Spoilers: he'll argue every last one of them is in that first category.) ]

Yu! Guess what I found? They have an entire book about old cat breeds and the best way to raise them.

[ He's not angling or anything. Really. ]

[Kanda couldn't care less about the book in his hand - not while he waited and not when Lavi came back to where he was waiting like a whirlwind.

No, he'd spent that time far too busy fighting back a sense of triumph, because his impossible partner had neither pulled away nor looked displeased with Kanda's little game thus far. Point in fact, he'd looked fairly disappointed.

So while his book-obsessed partner bound through the aisles looking for... whatever it is he's researching now, Kanda had settled back on the lounge, legs stretched before him, ankles crossed, and let his mind wander. Because much as Lavi was distracted now, he knew the question would come up again.

Which means he still need to figure out something 'fun' to do that doesn't involve weapons, training gear, copious amounts of alcohol, or mission useful tech.

Unfortunately for him, Kanda is no closer to an answer now that Lavi had returned than he was when Lavi had first posed the question.

Uncrossing his ankles, he brings a leg up to drop off the side of the seat, draws his other knee up behind Lavi's back, and leans in to look over the other man's shoulder.

At the sight of the cat book, however, he snaps a hand out and snags it, pulls it behind his back with a shake of the head.]

Interesting. I'll give it to Kara. [Nodding at the rest of the stack, he manages to suppress a smile as he arches a brow because this close? It's actually pretty fun, trying to find ways to distract his partner.]

What else did you find, rabbit?

Hey!

[ Protip: do not take books from a bookman. The result is going to be sharp glare and mildly flailing arm as he tries to retrieve the absconded book before it disappears. Alas, he's too late, and before he can offer a very mature protest, Kanda says he's going to give it to Kara.

His petulant anger is just near enough to distract from the heat radiating off Kanda again, permeating through his clothes and making the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. But 'just near enough', is not, in fact, enough.

Lavi closes his eye, breathes deep to summon his composure and stop, for the love of the trees, fantasizing about stripping Yu down in the middle of a very respectable shop. ]

Kara, huh?

[ Hey remember that time he was really passive aggressive about Kara? Probably not because you were drunk but here's a refresher.

Turning his back a little more with a huff, he sorts out the books in ~~sulking~~ silence until he finds one that is particularly interesting. ]

Oh, this one is great. It translates to, "How to become a level 4 and get a cat of your own so Yu and Kara can live happily with theirs."

[ It doesn't, of course. But it's in an ancient language and as best as he can figure means something along the lines of 'periods of civil unrest'. ]

I'll just take this one, then.

[The urge to laugh wars with confusion - which is swiftly replaced with disbelief. Because much as he didn't catch it the night he'd gone drinking with Kara, it's a little clearer now.

Lavi, his totally detached from humanity, the impartial observer, is jealous.

Impartial my ass, you bastard.

It's both exasperating and endearing, because for all that he does enjoy Kara's company (it's easy and non-invasive, lacks complexity on every level) she's hardly his 'type'.

Especially since his apparent type runs towards stubborn, temperamental, eye-patch wearing level-three bounty hunters.

Blinking, Kanda runs a hand over his face as Lavi sifts through the books, utterly unsure what to do with this realization - until his partner opens his mouth again.

And then he just laughs, the sound bright and clear before he takes a page from his partner's book and slings an arm over Lavi's shoulders, props his chin on the other side, and reaches down to tap the book cover.

He has no damned clue what it says, but he'd bet his last joy chip that isn't it.]

You should check the translation. Sounds like that palm reading bullshit you told me a while back.

Edited 2017-02-27 06:33 (UTC)

[ Fortunately, his temper rarely burns, and when it does, it's a bright heat rather than a smoldering anger. Lavi's best attempts at clinging to the spark of rage fall flat within seconds of that laughter behind him, the irritation bleeding out to leave a dull, mostly self-mocking kind of frustration in its place.

It was a bit of a stretch to translate 'civil unrest' as 'you bastard, I wanted a kitten and also hate your other best friend'. He's surprised Kanda isn't running more with it, all things considered. Lavi certainly would've taken it as ammunition for teasing.

The sheepishness has its perks, at least. So caught up in the dawning revelation of his foolish behavior, Lavi bypasses the usual nerves and jitters stage when Yu drapes over his shoulders, skipping straight to comfortable acceptance.

Simple closeness and humor--it might be unusual for Kanda to be the one perpetuating it, but it doesn't diminish the sense of normalcy he gets out of it.

Normalcy, he realizes, is something he's craved desperately in the last few weeks.

Thus relaxed, if only for this moment, he tilts his head back enough to shoot Kanda a low glare, shaking his shoulder beneath that chin with a quiet huff. ]

The palmistry was totally legit!

[ Then with a smile that's half cheer and apology, he chuckles, adding a layer of reluctance to make his admission that much more dramatic. ]

But I may be taking some creative liberties with the translation.

[ Quick to move the topic along before Kanda can inquire just how many creative liberties he's taken thus far, Lavi shifts through the books again, holding up a black book with a silver crest emblazoned. Time has worn away much of the crest's details, but it reminds him almost of a rose.

He'd picked it for that reason alone. ]

This 'un is Neo-Qreshi architecture over the last three centuries. Great for when I marry someone rich and enjoy a life of luxury.

[ Also useful for breaking in. He's leaving his options open. ]

Hn. Until then, you're stuck with me so...

[A slight shift lets Kanda settle more comfortably, the warmth of Lavi's back more of a familiar weight resting against his chest than a distraction in this moment, a moment of contented ease that he doesn't want to draw attention to in fear of bringing those threads of tension back into their evening.

Reaching forward, his fingers catch the corner of the worn tome, lifts the cover curiously.]

Just some, huh? Wonder why I'm not convinced. But...

[It's an almost lazy question, one designed more to get Lavi to talk than anything else because much as he won't admit it - his partner's knowledge, and the way he interprets and explains it, it's captivating.

His expressions become less constructed and more naturally animated, as if he truly enjoys parsing out the remnants of the past. ]

I wonder how much of this shit is under water now, if it's that old.

[ That either of them consider their current position comfortable or easy should, by all rights, direct them to the greater problem. Lavi considers this briefly, though from his vantage point alone--still unwilling to allow hope a place in his thoughts--and then summarily writes it off. So what if it's not considered "normal" by the usual standards?

When have either of them been anything but abnormal?

Besides...

Even knowing this kind of closeness is the hard limit on what he can have with this man, its sweetness evens out the bitterness enough to still cherish it.

Which is why he leans a little further back and relaxes his posture, lets Yu become the wall to the world in the privacy of their little corner here. There are other patrons--he can sense their movement nearby in the way colors shift at his periphery, but they don't really exist right now.

Right now it's just Yu and him, lost somewhere among books and cats and stupid little arguments. The sigh he offers by way of response to Yu's curiosity is as much practiced melodrama as it is an expression of contentment. ]

Most, I'd guess. They usually know when the land is gonna drown long enough to preserve stuff.

[ Sometimes on a timescale well graphed by geologists, sometimes by precisely tuned seismic monitors--either way, the wealthy can afford to react with haste in a way that people like Lavi and Kanda will never truly comprehend.

He flips through the pages of the book idly before choosing a random section to stop: a chapter about arch styles and the various embellishments that signify status. ]

's kinda why we do what we do, you know?

[ A distant murmur, distracted as he scans the texts. ]

So we can preserve the important things. 'Cept, our important things aren't the objects.

Someday Qresh will just be a ball of ice but if there are humans still, there will be a Bookman who can tell 'em about the time before it froze and why so many rich people liked tree symbols.

[ Quieter for mind of their surroundings, Lavi tilts his head add in a low whisper at Yu's ear: ]

..I hope that Bookman doesn't leave out how inbred those bastards are.

[Thing is, Lavi is the only one that sees their current shifts in comfortable proximity as a 'greater problem' - probably because Kanda is actively working to close that distance all the more.

Even if he's stumbling through it, not quite sure of the steps to take.

Still, he can't help but think they're fumbling in the right direction, with the way Lavi relaxes against him, trusts him to bear his partner's weight that little bit more as he speaks low and quiet, the explanation something he would not have been privvy to even three month ago.

That too, is a telling shift. The way Lavi opens up a little about his motivations as a bookman, of why those records he's constantly recording are so important to him...

Although.

The unexpected caress of soft words and warm breath scatter his thoughts utterly, have him closing his eyes and drawing a steady breath for an instant. Some part of him is pushed that little bit more off center at the intimacy of it... but another, smaller part can't help but wonder at the way Lavi talks about the Bookman - sometimes as 'we' but also 'they'.

Like he's not fully a part of them anymore... and he's not quite sure what to think of that.

Now, however, isn't the time to broach questions like that, and so he opens his eyes, laughs softly as he cants his head that little bit closer.]

...Could explain why they're so fixated on genetic modification. Bastards.

[Reaching forward, he turns the pages once again, a curious frown curling his lips before he cuts his partner a sidelong glance.]

You think they left anything valuable in those ruins? All it'd take would be a little underwater gear and time.

[ Qreshi children born without genetic alterations often meet a short and complicated end--it's a common feat of monarchy style social systems, though earlier versions of it often resulted in the death of the ruling family's line.

It's an astute observation, but not a surprising one. For all that Yu comes off as brash and simple-minded, he is anything but, and his shortcomings are a result of lacking formal education more than anything else.

Intelligence might just be part of the predatory design for a better soldier, but Lavi would like to think Yu's sharp mind must've caught those scientists off guard. A weapon that has the wit and conscience of a man .. isn't much of a weapon at all.

It does make for a dangerously attractive bounty hunter, though.

Laughing, more to his own deranged thoughts than anything else, he meets the askance glance with a vague, secretive smile right before he snaps the book shut along with the retreat of fingertips. ]

Don't get any ideas. They barely let me on Qresh when they see who my senior agent is already.

[ Ah--no longer distracted by the text, he's swiftly made aware of their closeness again, squirming inelegantly to lean away and clamber back to a stand. ]

C'mon. Let's get out of here before you decide to raid someone's private aquarium.

[ Book slid under his elbow, Lavi holds out a hand to help the other up, smile a mix of joy and challenge. ]

You ever think of anything fun you wanna do?

[That is the kind of smile, Kanda would actually like to see more often. There's just something... light, playful, in that curve of Lavi's lips - something almost private, hidden between the two of them.

It's quite nearly enough to draw him in that little bit more - so the teasing retreat was a saving grace, gifted unknowing from his partner.

Enough so that he watches the retreat with only a trace of regret, the lingering edges of a smile still warming the corners of his mouth as he shifts to the edge of the chair.]

If anything, having your senior agent saves you from more headache than anything else - especially when dealing with psychotic Qreshis.

[As he pushes to his feet, however, the smile turned into a smirk. ]

I'm just saying - if we hit a rainy day, knowing where one of those aquariums happens to be would make an ideal exit strategy. As for fun... [Shrugging, he reaches down to catch up the two books Lavi had given him (yes, he's counting the cats one), he tamps down the faint flicker of nerves as he offers a seemingly mind suggestion.]

...There's a new cafe open, right? You've mentioned it before. Thought... I dunno... maybe something that isn't necessarily soba. Just for tonight.

[ The empty hand closes in on itself, fingers lightly snapping together much like the pages of a book, silent and purposeful. Fortune favors him this night, it seems, albeit in a fickle, confusing manner, for he's short changed on time to feel the rebuke of an ignored hand and instead offered a casual oddity.

One which seems, at least on first glance, to have the anxious tinge of uncertainty to it..

Ah, but considering that Kanda might be nervous does not fit into his world view of self-sacrificing martyrdom (and his infatuation is certainly dramatic enough to qualify for that, or he thinks), so it's swiftly rejected and written off as another mistake of a wishful mind.

Still, whether the statement was delivered with confidence or not, the parameters of the statement itself is downright unusual. Yu, willingly eating something that isn't soba, and even volunteering as much in an open offer for fun?

Lavi hums, mulling over this for a moment with stitched together brows and a thoughtful expression. After the requisite "maybe he's suddenly fallen ill" consideration, the redhead grins, laughing brightly and fearlessly looping an arm about Yu's free elbow. (The matter of shifting weight to accommodate the books under his own arm is one of unconscious ease: he has long since learned to balance books and monkey-clinging without sacrificing the integrity of either.) ]

Kanda Yu volunteering to eat food that isn't noodles...?!

[ He tugs lightly at that arm, leading them towards the front of the story to pay for their goods as if certain that Kanda will change his mind. ]

Such a surprising man. Just when I think I've got you figured out. You're the mystery that keeps on givin'!

..Shut up!

[Despite the reprimanding words, there's a hint of laughter in his voice, no bite in the command to be found as he lets Lavi lead them through the stacks of books and holo-readers. As they go, he drops his gaze, just enough to consider the arm linked with his own, to try to figure out if the move was Lavi being... well, Lavi... or if this was some measure of memory bleeding through to the moment.

This, though, is not something Kanda can discern even if he had Lavi's ability to see the finest nuances, and so he stops trying to figure it out. It's frustrating, to say the least, and makes him want to stop, pull Lavi back into that secluded corner, and test out the other man's memory with a more physical approach.

(Because he can still feel it, the way lips slanted against lips, the taste of this man on his tongue... the way their bodies had felt pressed flush, hard and demanding)

Instead, he simply forces himself to drag in a slow breath before he drops the books in hand down carelessly to the counter, adding them to Lavi's own - and then shifts the arm linked with Lavi's to catch his partner's wrist in hand (to keep him from reaching into his pocket).

Without even glancing at the redhead, he reaches into his pocket with his free hand and pulls out a slim red joy chip, tosses it on top of their selection. Only then does he cast a sidelong look at his partner, a faint smirk pulling into place.]

I'm not the complicated one between the two of us... so if I'm a mystery, it's because you're not looking close enough, idiot rabbit.

[That said, he turns back just long enough to catch bag and joy chip - the first he holds out to Lavi and the second he pockets - as gives the wrist still caught in his grip a light, questioning tug.]

So - new place or soba?

[Nerves, it seems, aren't something one can ignore entirely - they crop up with the simplest of questions... like where someone wants to eat.]

closed | world forgetting by the world forgot

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